Art to favour inclusivity and belonging for newcomers within Quebec's accueil program

Abstract

The accueil program can be an isolating and restricting experience for newcomer children in Quebec. This project investigates whether targeted art-making can lead newcomer students to develop stronger feelings of belonging and inclusion within their school community. This project follows ideologies of Critical Multiculturalism, as well as methodologies of Critical Arts Pedagogy, Participative Art-Based Research, and Student-Centered Pedagogy. Questionnaires, interviews, written observations, and artwork analysis aided in reviewing the experiences of 10 accueil students in a Montreal elementary school. Within the limits of the study, this 13-week project concludes that art-making can lead newcomers to develop stronger feelings of belonging within their new school. This project helped students bond in and outside of their class group, and helped create a larger and stronger school-based community for newcomers.